This is a discussion on Zax's 2015 WRX STi BS build thread within the Builds forums, part of the Tech & Modifying & General Repairs category; Originally Posted by 96accord
It was great! Did you see all the pictures?
He forwarded me the nudez, so I ...

OK, so as many of you know, I've been a little disappointed with the capabilities of the "performance Subarus" over the last several years. While the GD WRX and WRX STi filled a white space in the market that was not yet occupied in the USDM, GR WRXs and STis left a lot to be desired, particularly in the fit-and-finish and cornering department. Compared to the competition, WRXs and STis handled like pickup trucks, and sounded like them too! The realization came in 2010 when my wife and I bought a 2008 MazdaSpeed3. Compared to the WRXs and STis of the time, the MS3 (despite the smaller motor) produced a lot more torque and felt more planted and rigid in the corners. Then, in 2011, I drove my first Lancer Evolution X. Compared to the WRX, the Evo was an instrument capable of slicing through corners with the utmost precision. As you forum veterans know: I swore I would never buy another performance Subaru. Then the impossible happened: Subaru LISTENED to the complaints and built a car to end all cars. So here I am, the proud owner of a 2015 WRX STi, and considering I have driven the competition, it is quite a statement when I say that the 2015 WRX STi is the best car in its segment. Allow me to provide my review.

2015 WRX STi:

Cornering/Handling:
Pulling out of the parking lot, it was immediately evident the car had been completely overhauled. Gone was the numb and sloppy feeling of the GRs. Yet, despite the lack of sloppiness, the 2015 does not retain the jarring ride of the GD WRX STi. If there is one word I would use to describe the 2015 WRX STi, that word would be "tight." The steering is tight and responsive, the chassis rigid as can be. Literally everything about the car is tighter and more composed than the last generation STi. What is most interesting to me is that Subaru has managed to keep the best of both the GD and GR chassis while eliminating the pitfalls. The 2015 STi rides smoothly but does not have the spongy feeling that plagued the GR STi. In short, the 2015 STi reminds me of a GR STi with all conceivable driveline and suspension bushings upgraded. If I were to compare the 2015 STi with the Evo X, I would say that the cornering is very close. It is difficult to make the judgement because I have not driven either car in anger, but the 2015 is impressive. Compared to the WRX, the STi feels a bit more planted, but honestly it's very close. I drove the 2015 WRX back-to-back with the 2015 STi and the WRX is an impressive performer. The steering in the WRX is very good, especially considering the rack is EPAS, though it doesn't quite topple the STi in precision. In the cornering department, the WRX is incredible. When compared to the GR STi, the new 2015 WRX feels FAR more planted. During the test drive, I was able to drive both cars over an off-camber corner with a rough patch of pavement. The WRX was a little unsettled over the rough patch (but maintained traction) while the STi remained completely composed. It is evident that though the electronic traction control does its job adequately, it just can't beat out the true limited slip differentials in the STi. Both very impressive performers; points to Subaru here.

Motor
Nothing to see here; move along. Yes the STi retains the EJ motor. Yes the motor belongs in a tractor. It's still rough, still uncivilized, and vibrates like a cement mixer off-idle. I don't have a lot of nice things to say about the EJ motor, but it does have a very nice powerband and feels linear like a NA motor. I forgot how much more off-boost drivability the EJ257 lends compared to the familiar EJ205. Yet the EJ257 isn't too torquey like the 2.3L in the MS3. I think it's really just the right amount of torque low in the rev range. I can't comment on the tune of the car since I have yet to surpass the break-in period, but the tune feels quite good for regular drivability. Compared to FA20 in the 2015 WRX, the EJ257 is ancient and feels it!! Words cannot describe how truly impressive the FA20 in the WRX feels to drive. For starters, the FA20 does not feel like it belongs in a tractor (EJ257 clearly does). Under 2000 RPM, the EJ257 is easier to drive with a bit more torque. However, as soon as the tachometer needles passes 2000 rpm, the motor lights up. Boost comes on early and the motor is smooth. My god is the motor smooth. However, I cannot speak kindly about the boost control on the FA20. As boost builds, the car shakes and stutters. Remember those dynographs posted comparing the WRX and WRX STi? Remember how wild the torque curve looked on the WRX? It feels 100x as wild to drive. I am confident that this will be resolved with a 3-port and good boost mapping. Then, we will truly see what the FA20 can do!

Interior
Wow. Such interior. Much nice material. Very comfy. Wow.
It's no S4, but the interior in the new STi is very close to the quality of the interior in the Golf R. It is an AMAZING improvement over the last generation, particularly in the STi. The base model WRX, lacking the seats or the center console in the STi, is a bit under-equipped. However, at $25k, it's hard to complain when you recognize what else you get for the money. I cannot comment on the interior of the STi limited or WRX limited since I did not drive either car, but it is nice to have the amenities in the base STi. Heated seats (wifey loves these), LED headlights, dual climate control, and alcantara really bring the cabin together. The faux carbon-fiber trim isn't overstated as I had expected. The center console in the STi is a bit nicer than the WRX and houses the SI drive toggle and DCCD switches. The seats in the STi are a bit more comfy and bolstered than the seats in the WRX. Alcantara and leather bolsters are a great combination: a combination to which I have become accustomed in the MS3. As far as the stereo is concerned, I did not find the audio as horrendous as the recent complaints suggest. While it's no where close to the Bose system in our MS3, it isn't half bad and much improved over the last generation WRX/STi. Compared to the Evo X, the STi blows the doors off its principle competitor in the interior department. No question.

Hey zax, if you can do a full review of the 2015 wrx that will be great because I cant afford the sti so what I will do is instead of spending extra 10k I'll probably add a bigger turbo, but it will be my DD so maybe not...depend on my money XD

Hey zax, if you can do a full review of the 2015 wrx that will be great because I cant afford the sti so what I will do is instead of spending extra 10k I'll probably add a bigger turbo, but it will be my DD so maybe not...depend on my money XD

Zax is an excellent authority on the 2015 WRX. I will also be driving one in the near future with a member on here. His car will be the featured car in one of our first review videos. I'll keep you posted.

Zax is an excellent authority on the 2015 WRX. I will also be driving one in the near future with a member on here. His car will be the featured car in one of our first review videos. I'll keep you posted.

well...people say the new wrx is going to he bad and its a new engine and its going to be hard to mod and blah blah blah...and I am b**** I am excited for the new 2015 and the looks? WHAT YOU TALKING ABOUT ITS AS SHARP AS EVER! Even though it is look like a bmw mix evo! I don't care about all that. I am too excited and I can't wait to go back to a racing car again...I bought the new 2014 altima 2.5...urghhh so boring compare to my old 350z

Hey zax, if you can do a full review of the 2015 wrx that will be great because I cant afford the sti so what I will do is instead of spending extra 10k I'll probably add a bigger turbo, but it will be my DD so maybe not...depend on my money XD

I've never owned a performance Subaru before so I can't compare it to prior generations - but I can tell you that after reading all the reviews in the car rags and watching all the youtube reviews I went straight down to my local dealer and bought a 2015 WRX on April 1st.

I will be taking the car to Lime Rock on June 6th to see how she handles on the track. My only mods for the track day will be Hawk HP+ pads all around, ATE Super Blue Dot 4 Race Fluid and stainless steel braided brake lines.

A bit of background:
I've been driving an E36 M3 at race tracks like Bridgehampton, Watkins Glen, Lime Rock and Summit Point for about 18 years and have been an instructor with BMWCCA for 11. Years ago I got the M3 dialed in with coilovers, camber plates, bushings etc to make it handle. The engine is stock internally but the car has a CAI, tune, exhaust and and M50 intake manifold. I figure it makes 260hp at the crank - maybe 210 at the wheels though its never been on a dyno. Basically the car has gone from a front runner in 2000 to an under powered 'momentum' car compared the the 400 hp monsters at today's events. It still holds its own surprisingly well - I just hate being passed. My point is that I know my way around good handling cars and am very comfortable driving at speeds approaching a cars limits.

Here is my analysis of the 2015 WRX so far...

Handling:
Truly impressive right out of the box. This car is tight, firm and compliant all at the same time. It corners with minimal to moderate roll and midcorner bumps don't seem to upset the chassis.

Steering is light compared to my M3. It is very accurate and goes exactly where pointed but I would call the feedback muted.

Cornering grip is very high and understeer is nil up to any unreasonable speeds I have pushed the car to on the street. I really like how the awd pulls you through corners while accelerating around off ramps. Lifting momentarily tucks in the nose nicely but I haven't really felt the car push wide in a turn so I don't find that necessary. I don't know if that's the torque vectoring working its magic but is sure feels great!

Engine:
Dislaimer (I bought a CVT as my wife does not drive a stick.)
This motor rocks. Off the line there is a slight pause while the turbo spools up but after that this motor is almost always in the torque band and feels stronger than its hp rating. The engine drones for about 5 minutes when cold as it idles at 1500. After that it is fairly muted with nice intake/turbo sounds.

The transmission is really a gem (for an automatic). Much better than the DSG that was in my 2013 GLI. "Shifts" are crisp both up and down in S and S# modes. "I" mode is great for tooling around and highway cruising with more relaxed 'shifting' and very little CVT constant rpm nonsense.

Plug to Justin at JSC Speed:
I had a very hard time finding out what the brake pad shape was on the 2015 WRX since nobody has done a brake job on one yet. I found a web site that told me that the '15s took D1078s in the front and D1114 in the rear. I was skeptical so I called them. Justin answered the phone late on a Friday afternoon and as it turns out - they bought a 2015 WRX as a project car for there JSCSpeed.com business. We started chatting and it turns out that Justin also tracks an E36 M3 and had just taken the new WRX for a shakedown run (on stock pads) at Lightning in NJ. As I already knew would be the case the stock brake pads and fluid were not up to track specs and faded very quickly. Anyway - they have a great 2015 WRX Project Car Build blog on their site that might be of interest. The link is below.

I've never owned a performance Subaru before so I can't compare it to prior generations - but I can tell you that after reading all the reviews in the car rags and watching all the youtube reviews I went straight down to my local dealer and bought a 2015 WRX on April 1st.

I will be taking the car to Lime Rock on June 6th to see how she handles on the track. My only mods for the track day will be Hawk HP+ pads all around, ATE Super Blue Dot 4 Race Fluid and stainless steel braided brake lines.

A bit of background:
I've been driving an E36 M3 at race tracks like Bridgehampton, Watkins Glen, Lime Rock and Summit Point for about 18 years and have been an instructor with BMWCCA for 11. Years ago I got the M3 dialed in with coilovers, camber plates, bushings etc to make it handle. The engine is stock internally but the car has a CAI, tune, exhaust and and M50 intake manifold. I figure it makes 260hp at the crank - maybe 210 at the wheels though its never been on a dyno. Basically the car has gone from a front runner in 2000 to an under powered 'momentum' car compared the the 400 hp monsters at today's events. It still holds its own surprisingly well - I just hate being passed. My point is that I know my way around good handling cars and am very comfortable driving at speeds approaching a cars limits.

Here is my analysis of the 2015 WRX so far...

Handling:
Truly impressive right out of the box. This car is tight, firm and compliant all at the same time. It corners with minimal to moderate roll and midcorner bumps don't seem to upset the chassis.

Steering is light compared to my M3. It is very accurate and goes exactly where pointed but I would call the feedback muted.

Cornering grip is very high and understeer is nil up to any unreasonable speeds I have pushed the car to on the street. I really like how the awd pulls you through corners while accelerating around off ramps. Lifting momentarily tucks in the nose nicely but I haven't really felt the car push wide in a turn so I don't find that necessary. I don't know if that's the torque vectoring working its magic but is sure feels great!

Engine:
Dislaimer (I bought a CVT as my wife does not drive a stick.)
This motor rocks. Off the line there is a slight pause while the turbo spools up but after that this motor is almost always in the torque band and feels stronger than its hp rating. The engine drones for about 5 minutes when cold as it idles at 1500. After that it is fairly muted with nice intake/turbo sounds.

The transmission is really a gem (for an automatic). Much better than the DSG that was in my 2013 GLI. "Shifts" are crisp both up and down in S and S# modes. "I" mode is great for tooling around and highway cruising with more relaxed 'shifting' and very little CVT constant rpm nonsense.

Plug to Justin at JSC Speed:
I had a very hard time finding out what the brake pad shape was on the 2015 WRX since nobody has done a brake job on one yet. I found a web site that told me that the '15s took D1078s in the front and D1114 in the rear. I was skeptical so I called them. Justin answered the phone late on a Friday afternoon and as it turns out - they bought a 2015 WRX as a project car for there JSCSpeed.com business. We started chatting and it turns out that Justin also tracks an E36 M3 and had just taken the new WRX for a shakedown run (on stock pads) at Lightning in NJ. As I already knew would be the case the stock brake pads and fluid were not up to track specs and faded very quickly. Anyway - they have a great 2015 WRX Project Car Build blog on their site that might be of interest. The link is below.

You have an M3!? nice man! I love you! hahaha and you just persuade me on getting one...the waiting adds the pain! also, do you have any problem with your new car? I bought that nissan altima last christmas and already have problem with the CVT (maybe?) because it start to jiggle after brake then gas

...and Zax not the forum, but people around me and other forum....idk though, but I love the new 2015. OMG I CANT WAIT!!! HURRY NEXT YEAR!!

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